Use Birds to Quickly Locate Bait and Schools of Fish
Certain times of the year in both freshwater and saltwater, anglers can use flocks of actively feeding birds to locate large concentrations of bait and fish.
This was the case during my recent fly fishing trip with Capt. Joel Dickey. First thing, early in the morning, we’d run a wide sweeping perimeter with the boat, as we searched for seagulls on the feed. Binoculars weren’t a necessity but they allowed us to be more efficient by eliminating large areas of water that would otherwise be too far off for the naked eye. Being patient, continuing to cover water, and keeping confidence were the key factors in us successfully locating feeding birds. Be prepared for it to take a little while some days. For us, each morning it took a little while to find the birds, but eventually things fell into place with each scouting attempt. As the sun begins to rise over the horizon, it creates a perfect contrast of light that turns seagulls a bright neon white. You’d be surprised how far off you can pick out feeding birds this time of day. Any birds you find on the water means there’s probably bait and fish near by, but when you find diving birds in good numbers, you know there’s a feeding frenzy in progress.
I’ve used birds many times in the past to locate schools of striped bass on my local reservoirs, but this saltwater trip was my first time using seagulls to locate tarpon. The seagulls and tarpon were feeding on a shrimp die off, that happens during the hottest times of the year in the evenings and at night. During these periods photosynthesis is not taking place, and with the lack of wind, oxygen levels in the water dropped below average. I have to say it was an adrenaline pumping way to fish for tarpon. We’d cruise in on plane and cut the engines at a safe distance, allowing us to coast in quietly to avoid alerting the feeding tarpon. Immediately following, Joel would jump on his platform and quickly pole us into the schools of rolling tarpon.
The key to getting bites was finding a rolling tarpon within casting range, and then firing a presentation quickly 3-5 feet in front of the tarpon. The hardest part for me
Read More »DRIFTING
By Marcus Saunders
That gentle morning light seems to push back all those fears that hound our minds at 3am. Glancing sideways out of the ute window, I see vague outlines race by as the human world slowly comes into focus; the radio is silent, and only the occasional rattle of the trailer reminds me that the boat is in tow. Early mornings belong to no one. Fishermen seem to love them more than most, the enveloping quiet, indifference from most wildlife and only the occasional raspy bird call. The put-in at Cressy is quiet, not another soul as you watch the sun creeping closer until finally that ribbon of fire burns across the landscape. The boat slides gently from the cradle, the teflon doing its job as quickly the boat is tugging on the rope. Sometimes it feels a little strange, like a dog pulling on the leash, then final checks and a gentle push, and your other life is left behind. The first dip of the oar as you correct then find your line, followed by the inevitable arse shifting as the rope seat softens and you push to find your sacred position. You swing the bow into the current, one more quick check, and finally it feels right.
Despite the graft, it just feels right. Everything seems to be as it should be, and a little on-the-spot research confirms that these boats were designed for hard labour. I’ve never considered myself an oarsman, but when I sit in a boat that has been shaped by my own hands a different kind of connection seems to exist. It may sound a little fauxmantic, yet it is possibly like any other love in that it helps make us whole. The slow start is comforting, low volume on the chatter as eyes search, those extra few minutes in the seat settle you quickly as mental adjustments are made and reading the water takes on its true meaning, searching casts arc out toward the bank as perception and reality clash. Thankfully, rhythm takes hold as cast after cast seems to be hitting the zone, the first slashy take drags us back as the mad scramble ensues, all that initial organisation goes to shit as the net gets dragged out from under what appears to be a floating fishing store and takeaway food shop. Gently you ease back on the oars as the struggle quickly fades and the net is dipped beneath a pretty little hen with spots that makes you take a second look. It feels good to be on the board early and, after easing her gently back, some quick reorganising shuffles the positions and it’s my turn to cast.
The day rolls with the pace of the river. Continual mends are thrown as you attempt to use the current to your advantage, still no hatch yet enough fish sitting just off the edge that the nymph dropper can still bring some activity. The air temperature has climbed enough that we can now strip down to waders and a tee, we need no reminders of how cold and long winter is, and any chance to lighten up is taken. Along with the warmth come the hatches. All of a sudden the back eddies are filling with lilting mayflies, they lift and fall under the now patchy sky, leaders are lightened and size 16 black spinners are tied on and ginked. We float along until
Read More »Six Tips for Better Bonefish Hook Sets
SO YOU’VE FOUND A BONEFISH AND FED IT? DON’T BLOW THE HOOK SET.
The hook set is the decisive moment. The moment when most bonefish are lost or landed. Considering how much effort goes into finding and feeding a fish, it’s wise to have the skills to get a good solid hook set. There are a couple of things that often go wrong but if you know what to expect and what to do when things go wrong, you can make the connection you need.
A Proper Strip Set
A solid hook up starts with a good strip set. The most common mistake that anglers new to saltwater fly fishing make is lifting the rod when setting the hook. This is called a trout set and no matter how hard you trout set it will not give you the penetration you need. Saltwater fish have hard mouths made for eating food that fights back. To get a solid set you have to keep the rod pointing at the fish and set with your line hand.
For a proper strip set on a bonefish, you need the pressure of a raucous hand shake. The kind you might give a good friend you haven’t seen in years. When I teach bonefishing, I like to play the part of the fish and let the students feel the right amount of pressure. I think it makes a big difference, but for now let’s go with a really firm handshake. Strip the line quickly and be prepared to strip long. Move your rod hand laterally, to the outside without changing the angle of the rod as you strip. Once you feel the right amount of pressure, be prepared to let the fish run.
Fighting Muscle Memory
Knowing how to strip set doesn’t matter if you forget to strip set. This is the hardest thing for most new saltwater anglers. Thousands of hours of trout setting muscle memory are devilishly hard to retrain. I teach a foolproof method
Drop-Offs Are Trout Hot-Spots
Adjacent – just before, after, lying near; neighboring
Drop-offs located adjacent to shallow water are trout magnets.
The slower moving water and cover found downstream of drop-offs are the two main reasons trout are drawn here. If you’re looking for super consistent water where you can almost always find trout, you should be searching out dropoffs on your streams and rivers where shallow water transitions into deeper water. The more significant (larger the area) the stretch of shallow water is, the more appeal the adjacent drop-offs will have over trout, especially when the shallow water upstream or downstream holds very little cover.
I regularly float over a long stretch of shallow unproductive water on my home tailwater. It’s about 200 yards long, calf deep at best, and it’s completely barren of any form of trout cover. The trout hate this section of the river because they’re sitting ducks to predators looking for an easy meal, and there’s nowhere for the trout to find refuge out of the excessive current. I’d say it’s a completely worthless piece of water on the river, but the fact is, it does serve a valuable purpose for us fly anglers. This long stretch of desolate trout water, makes it’s neighboring drop-offs and
Read More »Hell and High Water in North Carolina
I made a couple of trips, handing water up the stairs to Kathy and was back in the kitchen when the room went dark. I looked up and the nine foot windows were covered by water. By Louis Cahill I haven’t made a big deal out of my move to Western North Carolina but it has been a really big deal for me and my wife, Kathy. Since I lost the sight in my right eye, and some of my left, getting to the mountains to fish has been a real challenge. I still see well enough to drive during the day but absolutely not after dark. Living in Atlanta sucks but living in Atlanta and not being able to escape for a good day of fishing is out-right intolerable. Tired of having to get off the water before the fishing gets good, so I can get home before dark, and with Kathy’s work more and more remote, we pulled the trigger on a home forty-five minutes north of Asheville in a place called Green Mountain. If you watched 60 Minutes last week, you know that Green Mountain is what they are calling Ground Zero for the devastation caused by hurricane Helene. The destruction in and around our neighborhood is nothing short of biblical. Many of our neighbors are simply gone, and many more homeless. Those who still have homes are facing the onset of winter without heat, or in most cases, water. The devastation of the roads leading into and out of Green Mountain make supply runs long and dangerous. I honestly have no words for what I have seen there. I open my mouth to tell people and nothing comes out. Our home is a story in itself. It’s honestly a dream I’ve had since I was a … Continue reading
Read More »Fly Fishing: Salt Life Isn’t Always Fair
MY PREVIOUS FISHING TRIP TO THE SALT REMINDED ME LIFE IS NOT ALWAYS FAIR
Wool socks and thermals on, fleece on top of that, buff raised high on the nose, I battened down the hatches on my final layer of protection, my rain jacket and pants. Wind howling and white caps crashing in the distance, I try to pretend my finger tips aren’t tingling with pain from the bitter cold morning temperatures. As we motor down the canal towards the redfish grounds, with the pier very much still in sight, I already find myself thinking, “Today’s fly fishing is going to suck”.
I’ve spent enough time on the water over the years to know when there’s little hope for fishing success, and I no longer feel obligated to torture myself, hoping for a miracle to happen or spend the day falsely proclaiming to my buddies, all is good. Today, not even the pelicans think it’s worth their time to head out fishing. Their huddled together on the bank with their beaks tucked tight against their chest. They’re noticeably shivering, clearly not happy, and they’ve all somehow found a way to agree it’s a good idea for them to check their egos, in the off chance they can gain some warmth in numbers.
Yesterday, of course, the weather was absolutely perfect. Unfortunately, that beautiful fishing day was spent driving the eight hours down to Delacroix, LA and our fly rods were stowed in their tubes. Why does it always seem to play out this way for me? I’ve been looking forward to heading down south to get my saltwater fix for months, and I’ve even managed to get two of my favorite buddies to accompany me on the trip. We finally get here, and our first day is a total bust, from the horrible weather. What can I say, life in the salt isn’t always fair. That’s at least what I’ve learned as a mountain man and trout fisherman who only finds a couple times a year to head down for some fly fishing in the salt. I always remember to say my pre-trip prayers to the Fish Gods, problem is, my prayers aren’t usually answered.
Read More »John Gierach, A Remembrance
The first lesson John taught me was how to kill a chicken with a stick. It was far from the last. It was October fourth when I found out John had passed. Exactly one week after I had nearly died myself in the flood waters from hurricane Helene. My wife, Kathy, and I had made it out of Western North Carolina to my family in Virginia but I had loaded the truck with food, water and supplies for my neighbors, plus a hundred gallons of gas in a tank borrowed from my cousin, and headed immediately back. Green Mountain felt like a zombie movie. The destruction is beyond my ability to describe. Everyone says it looks like a war zone. I’ve been in several. They’re nothing like this. Not since World War One. I had been digging through the mud and sewage in my ground floor looking for things I could save, delivering food and gas to neighbors and hearing the heart breaking stories of the neighbors who were gone. I had cleaned up my 1950s Kay arch top and plugged the Starlink into a battery pack so I could text my wife and let her know I was ok when I, on a whim, opened Instagram and saw the post from my friend Dan. Just like that he was gone. I had been emailing with John, not long before the storm. He was doing better. Frustrated that he wasn’t improving faster. His heart had been giving him trouble for a while and he’d had a couple of procedures. He was stingy with the details, never one to get too close to complaining. It was hard to know exactly how much trouble he was in. “I chose a lifestyle that I knew would beat me up and now I’m standing … Continue reading
Read More »Fly Rod Grip – Keep it Consistent
A common mistake that I see with many of my first timers is they fail to keep a consistent fly rod grip when they’re first learning how to cast a fly rod.
Without notice, they often shuffle their rod hand around on the cork, which ends up altering their grip slightly from one cast to the next. Probably the most common grip movement I see with my students is they reposition the thumb during the casting stroke. To be more specific, they slide their thumb off the top of the cork to the side of the cork, and it causes problems with casting form, makes it more difficult to abruptly stop the rod at the end of the back cast and forward cast, it seems to make it harder for anglers to feel the fly rod loading, and direct a cast to a designated target.
Read More »DIY Bahamas Bonefish, with the Family
PERHAPS THE MOST TECHNICAL FEAT IN FLY FISHING IS COMBINING A FISHING TRIP WITH A FAMILY VACATION.
Leaving the wife or girlfriend behind, with or without a number of restless kids, while you slip away for a little fishing almost always ends in, what my brother calls “Hot tongue and cold shoulder,” no matter how delicate your presentation. It makes landing a permit look like child’s play. My last attempt, however, came off pretty well so I thought I’d share some of what made it a success.
My wife and I hade a great time in the Bahamas and you can too, but first here’s a pile of disclaimers.
1. Sharing your fishing time with family means compromising. What we’re talking about is a decidedly soft core fishing trip. I spent an average of two hours per day fishing. It worked for me but I’m confident in my ability to find and feed bonefish on my own. If you have never bonefished or are just learning you will need to tweak the strategy.
2. If you are new to bonefishing there is no replacement for the total immersion you get at a fishing lodge. It shortens your learning curve immeasurably. That said, in terms of both time and cost, it’s not in the cards for everyone.
3. I elected to fish on my own, without a guide. Lots of guys prefer to fish on their own and there’s nothing wrong with it. However, it is impossible to overstate the value of a good guide, especially when fishing waters far from home or unfamiliar species.
4. A good measure of the credit for my harmonious marriage goes to my wife. She is blessed with patience beyond belief.
Read More »Fly Fishing, No Pain No Gain
Have you ever felt like this when you got back to the truck after a long day of fishing?
Giving it my all on the water is a trait I strongly believe in for my fishing and guiding. I always try to make a point to explain to all my clients, that as long as they give it their all on the water, that’s all that really matters. There’s no reason for them to be disappointed about having a slow day on the water or get upset when a big fish fails to eat, so long as they took the time to approach their holes with stealth, made their best presentations, and fine-tuned their rig and pattern choice. After all, that’s why it’s called fishing not catching, right? We can only do so much as anglers, and even when we bring our best, there still will be times when we won’t be able to persuade certain fish to take our flies.
Keep this in mind next time you go out to wet a line. Don’t lose sight of the big picture, which is to always enjoy your time on the water. And don’t fish lazy, try to consistently give it your all when your out fishing. This way, whether you experience that epic day of fishing
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